𝙸 𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚘𝚝

Chapter 1

WILL FLIPPED THE PAGE OF THE BOOK HE held in his hand, eyes scanning the words. He was exhausted. He could hear his mother bringing in cardboard boxes from the garage and into the house, and his dad filling them with the ancient toys and things that the Millers had had since Rosemary had been a baby. 

They were off to Canada in approximately two days. Two days were too little; how could it be enough time? Enough time to say goodbye to everything he had ever known, like his best friend Kyle and Charlotte? 

How could he leave Charlotte?

Charlotte Reidall, who had never left him while she'd been in his school. Who had helped him whenever Jackson Crowle had hit and bullied him. She had always been there, until she had gotten tuberculosis and had left the school, isolated in her home, where she died months later.

Will missed her. He missed the way she would scowl at the mention of Jackson's name, or the way she would threaten Jackson. He missed the way she seemed so protective of him...and once upon a time, that had been Rosemary. 

Rosemary had always been the one to protect him. But ever since Jackson had come into both of their lives, she had changed drastically. She had gotten annoyed and angry and she turned from the sweet, caring sister Will had once known to someone else entirely. 

He was brought out of his stupor as the landline phone rang, buzzing in his ears. He made to get up but the sound of his dad's feet thundering up the stairs made him sit back down again. 

"Oh, it's the hospital," his dad said cheerfully. He picked up the phone and answered the call.

Right, Will thought. Rosemary had her all-night appointment thing. 

"Mhmm," his dad was saying. "Yes. Yeah. I'm Rosemary's father. Yes, I'm aware. WHAT?!"

 He turned his head toward his dad, who stood still, face white. "Y—yeah, we'll come...thanks," he whispered into the phone. He hung up, the phone falling from his hand and onto the floor with a loud smash. 

"Dad?" Will asked, pushing himself to his feet. His brows were furrowed, but dread clung at his heart. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "Dad...what happened?"

"Rosemary," his father whispered, and Will's heart squeezed. "Where...where's your mom?"

"Mom!" Will shouted, turning toward the garage door. "Mom!" 

She stumbled through the door within the span of a couple seconds, gardening gloves in hand. Sweat beaded her brow and she wiped it away with an arm. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern, seeing his dad's face. She glanced at Will. "Will, what...?" 

Will shrugged and turned back to his dad. "Dad, what happened?" he asked gently. 

"Rosemary," his dad choked out. The next three words that he spoke made Will's heart stop. 

"Rosemary is dead." 

 ***

He didn't realize that he had received a voicemail until he had picked up his phone, ready to go to the hospital. His eyes widened as he recognized the number; his sister's number. Rosemary's number. 

And he knew that it was her number because he had memorized it when she'd gotten it. He wasn't even sure if Rosemary had known that he'd memorized it. 

His hands trembled, his phone shaking in his hands. 

"Will!" shouted his mom. "We're leaving!" 

"Coming," he croaked. 

He sprinted down the stairs and launched himself into the backseat of the car. "Wait," he said as his dad put his key into the ignition. "Um, look." 

He handed his phone to his mom, who gasped and then turned the screen to his father, whose eyes widened.